The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-17
ONTARI0'S FATAL CRASH.
TWELVE KNOWN TO BE DEAD AND
ONE HUNDRED INJURED.


The Engineer of the Passenger Train
Found Dead in His Cab With His
Hand Still Grasping the Lever-Sur-
vivors of the Catastrophe Tell of ItS
Horrors.
DETROIT, MICH, July 16.-A special from,
st. Thomas, Ont, in relation to the railroad
disaster there yesterday, places the number
killed at 10 and the injured at about 40.
After the collision the passengers cons
menced emerging from the car windows
and every available means of egress. A
majority of the passengers in the car next
to the engine had been got out when the
engine plunged into the train.
HERO IN THE CAB.
Engineer Donnelly was found in the cab
with his hand on the lever STILL as if en-
deavoring to make the air brakes work. To
add additional horror to the already sufsi-
GENTLY appalling affair, the section of tlle
freight train into which the engine Of the
passenger train ploughed, consisted Of two
cars containing tanks filed with crude oil
and car loaded with barrels of refined oil,
and almost before the passengers heard the
crash of the collision it was followed by a
tremendous explosion which could be heard
for miles.
PYRAMID OF FIRE.
A pyramid of red fire and black clouds
lowered up in the air, and in a moment
sheets of fire reached out and enveloped the
cars, dwellings and warehouses in the vicin-
ity The burning oil was scattered around !
in all directions, setting fire to Guffin's coal
and salt warehouses, j. L. Campbells dwell
ing and watch house and other structures in
the vicinity, destroying all of these and
causing loss of about 5000.
MANY MEN HORRIBLY BURNED.
Herman Ponsford, of the fire department.,
was literally encircled by a volume of fire.,
and when the smoke cleared away it was
seen that from head TO foot he was covered
with flames. His injuries are Of a horTihlo
nature and he cannot recover.
Chief Walbourne was seriously burned
about the head and face.
John McKellar was burned badly on the
face and hands.
w Jeffers was burned on the face andi
| hands.
Nelson Gadsby was burned on the ears
and head.
p. Reath was badly burned on the face
Edward Moore was burned on the face
| and hands.
Engineer Joyce, of the Grand Trunk rail-
| road was a mass of flames His clothing
was stripped from his body by willing hands
| and he was taken home in cab.
An S-year-old son of r. Cattley was en-.
| veloped in flames and cannot recover.
OTHERS BURNED.
Among the others burned are.
Charles Chisholm.
A. Hudson.
John Stirling.
Allie and Arch Narsworthy.
Thomas Johnston.
Thomas Doherty.
ID. McCallum.
Martha Lamery.
Frank Queen.
Charles Dake.
j. Ackerman and scores of others. many
of them fatally. A. Francis, United States
| Consul, was struck by hose reel and terri.
bly, injured. His recovery is doubtful.
RECOGNIZING THE BODIES.
| The bodies that were among the first to
| be recognized were those of II. Donnelly,
| engineer of the excursion train, j. Smither,
wife and daughcT and A. Zealand and
daughter. As soon as the crash came the
utmost confusion arose, and the shrieks of
women and children were heartrending. In
| q momen, the flames broke out. A. b.
Remey and A. A. Drake at once rescued Mr..
King and Mrs. Wegg and their children
through windows, and others also
WHERE DEATH CAUGHT THEM
Before the accident Mrs King noticed
that Mrs. zealand ana MrS. 6m1uner were
seated together in the second seat from the
| forward end of the car, Mrs. Snither and
her months old babe in her arms at the
left hand side, and Mrs. Frame being seated
| opposite her. Mr.. Zealand, with his 2
months old babe, was seated on the opposite
side. There were also two large men in the
seat behind Mrs. Zealand and Mrs. Smither,
She did not notice who they were. OF the
eight but one, Mrs. Zealand, is known to
have escaped.
Alexander Watson, Grand Trunk rail
road brakeman, was blown up in the air by
the explosion and had his collarbone broken
by the fall.
w Chudley was run over by hose reel
and had a leg broken.
Many who were seriously injured by the
explosion are lying at their own homes or
those Of friends and it is almost impossible
TO learn their condition. An investigation
will be held in regard to the cause of the ac-
cident, and to discover upon whose shoul-
ders the blame should rest 1t is reported
that the engineer had been drinking, but il
is claimed that the main cause Of the disas-
ter was the failure of the air brakes to work.